After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows
Chapter 239: The Monarch and His Loyal Minister Understand and Cherish Each Other

Chapter 239: Chapter 239: The Monarch and His Loyal Minister Understand and Cherish Each Other

At noon, Jiang Lingxi and Shen Yunqing had their meal within the film crew, instead of going to the canteen of the Yinhe Palace Museum Research Institute.

However, it was He Zhu who brought Lu Zhengzheng over to pack the food and bring it back.

Since they had the means to eat better, neither of them would compromise on their food.

After lunch, they rested for a short while before the crew continued filming.

After all, this Wan Chao Street they rented was not the replica; if it were the replica, if they couldn’t finish filming, they could figure out a way to rent a few more days. But the street they were on now was rented for only two days, and not even a single hour more.

After a bustling afternoon, there was still a night scene to shoot.

This night scene didn’t involve Jiang Lingxi, so Wei Minmin and Xu Ling’an could leave after having dinner with the crew.

However, Jiang Lingxi didn’t leave. Seeing this, the two also stayed behind out of tacit agreement.

The reason Jiang Lingxi stayed was that the protagonist of this night scene was Shen Yunqing.

Unlike before where different scenes jumped back and forth in shooting order, the ones on Wan Chao Street were somewhat coherent.

This night scene of Shen Yunqing takes place right after hearing those patriarch sons speak disrespectfully about Emperor Yuan Zhao during the day.

At this point in time, Emperor Yuan Zhao had just ascended the throne, far from later times when he had the ministers thoroughly trained and obedient. Shen Moqing, who was lifted up by her, wasn’t the future Prime Minister Shen who could stabilize Central Capital in the emperor’s absence. At this time, he could only be considered a close minister to the emperor.

He was not very old, still full of youthful vigor, and during the day, upon hearing a few uneducated dandy sons insolently criticize the emperor he had always revered, though he was stopped from drawing his sword, the resentment in his heart could not be swallowed.

So, working overtime in the evening to complete tasks assigned by the emperor, while investigating these people’s illicit affairs, he received a confidential report from his subordinates that those few were still out reveling, and he became furious.

The emperor was straining every nerve to handle state affairs, having left the palace during the day, and at this moment was probably still reviewing memorials in the Imperial Book Pavilion, while he himself was burning the midnight oil managing his own official duties. On what account could these people be so carefree in merriment?

In a fit of impulsiveness, he donned a night outfit and quietly left home.

Just as those dandy sons drunkenly headed to a brothel to party all night, they were ambushed halfway and were beaten up by a masked man in black.

The assailant focused on face-punching; their bodies hurt too, but a medical examination showed only minor injuries.

He managed to vent his anger while not hindering the impending action against them.

In her past life, Jiang Lingxi naturally had no chance to witness her Prime Minister bash up those dandy sons; she heard it during a court assembly from a report by the head of capital security.

Prominent sons of noble families, getting beaten in the capital, and not just one of them—this caught the head of capital security’s attention, and he dared not disregard it.

After all, if today it was noble sons being hit, tomorrow it might be high-ranking officials.

When she finally heard the names of the beaten noble sons who were still laid up, she immediately knew who the assailant was.

At that moment, her heart had just two words: satisfying, deserved!

That report naturally went unresolved. She wouldn’t favor the parasites of society over her minister who vented her anger. She still felt a bit frustrated that her Prime Minister hadn’t taken her along for the bashing, not having seen the dismal scene of those few with her own eyes.

Of course, later on, she was the one who made them and the families behind them suffer the most.

Now, with the rare chance to reenact the scene, even if it was just acting, at least the lead actor was genuine.

It was barely a visual treat for her.

Wan Chao Street at night was usually quiet, as most tourist spots closed around five or six in the afternoon.

But tonight’s Wan Chao Street was bustling, thanks to the crew’s arrangement.

Lights were bright as day, merrymaking was rampant, citizens lived peacefully with joyous laughter, fully displaying the grandeur of the Upper Country.

Thanks to the crew’s meticulous and excellent setup, at a glance, Jiang Lingxi could almost feel like she had traveled back a millennium.

She had always aspired to create such prosperity.

Even when, amidst the world’s criticism, she ascended the throne as a woman, and even when she personally led the army at a mature age.

What she pursued, she never regretted!

Until the sound of a car door opening and closing came from behind, she suddenly snapped back to reality and turned to look.

There she saw Shen Yunqing, having already changed into a night outfit in the RV, walking towards her.

However, before he could get close, he was called away by the hastily arriving martial arts instructor.

This night scene was one of the few action scenes with Shen Yunqing performing more dangerous stunts requiring wire work, plus it was nighttime.

To prevent injuries due to mistakes, Shen Yunqing and the actors playing the dandy sons who were going to be beaten needed to prepare in advance.

If one side acted well, the other side also needed to cooperate.

Jiang Lingxi wasn’t worried about Shen Yunqing. Others might not know, but she was clear that her Prime Minister, although a civil servant, was quite skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Though she didn’t know why he also came here, he should still have some skills.

So she just nodded, feeling at ease watching him put on the wire harness and practice his moves.

Xu Ling’an quietly approached Jiang Lingxi, looked around to ensure no one was near, and then spoke softly, "Sister, I’ve always had a question."

"With your clever little mind, what question could you have? Go ahead, tell me."

"I’ve been filming Princess Jin’an’s scenes these days, so I combed through that period of history during Emperor Yuan Zhao’s reign again and made some notes."

Jiang Lingxi couldn’t resist reaching out to rub her head, "So diligent, no wonder you could become a top scholar, but if you have any confusion about Emperor Yuan Zhao’s era, feel free to ask me."

No one should know better than her.

Xu Ling’an nodded, then earnestly asked, "Sister, do you think there might have been something between Empress Yuan Zhao and Prime Minister Shen?"

Jiang Lingxi’s hand on Xu Ling’an’s hair paused abruptly; her first thought was of those fanfiction novels about Emperor Yuan Zhao and Prime Minister Shen that Lu Zhengzheng had previously recommended to her, "Why are you suddenly asking this? Did Zhengzheng influence you?"

"Sister Zhengzheng did recommend some novels when she saw me researching historical texts, saying that many of the authors were well-versed in history. I read through them too, but I found some to be too speculative."

Indeed, Jiang Lingxi thought of her casual searches that portrayed her as delaying her entire life in the rear palace to prevent Shen Moqing’s jealousy—it made her want to laugh.

She herself didn’t know it was for such reasons!

"Novels are just for reading, don’t believe them."

Otherwise, you might end up misled like Lu Zhengzheng.

Xu Ling’an nodded obediently, "But, I delved into the history of Emperor Yuan Zhao’s reign and found something even more detailed than our crew’s script, and I made a discovery."

Jiang Lingxi held her breath as she faced Xu Ling’an’s thoughtful gaze. "What discovery?"

"Historical records say that Emperor Yuan Zhao and Prime Minister Shen had a harmonious relationship between sovereign and minister. But throughout history, there hasn’t been another ruler and minister who maintained such tacit understanding for decades without ever having suspicions. Also, Emperor Yuan Zhao was the only empress in history, and both remained single until death. So, I wonder, were they always kindred spirits, just constrained by their statuses..."

Jiang Lingxi, amid the lights resembling a millennium of the past, listened to the earnest analysis beside her, and her mind felt as if thunder had exploded in a daze!